In other posts on our blog, we talked about these Berber fortifications, when discussing romantic accommodations or the real estate sector. But now we write this article to indicate which are the most beautiful kasbahs in Morocco. And many of them can be part of our custom circuits, as we use premium vehicles to tour the region where they are most numerous: the pre-Saharan valleys, between the Atlas and the Sahara, also known as the Route of the Thousand Kasbahs.
Kasbah of Taourirt, in Ouarzazate
It is one of the largest and best preserved. And moreover, it is visitable inside. Therefore, it is one of the most famous in the entire country. It belonged to the powerful Thami el Glaoui, leader of a dynasty that controlled the south of the country with the approval of the sultans and later the French Protectorate. Its crenellated adobe architecture and geometric decoration with chiaroscuro contrasts with its refined interior, with rooms and courtyards decorated with ceramics, woodwork, and plasterwork.
Kasbah of Telouet, in the High Atlas
In the High Atlas mountains, just a few kilometers from the Tizi n’Tichka pass, is this other kasbah, which was also a bastion of the same El Glaoui family. Its architecture, in fact, is very similar, but unfortunately it suffered significant damage during the 2023 earthquake. Although its state is ruinous in a good part of the structure, its importance lies in its antiquity: it began in the mid-19th century, when the Glaoui began to gain political and economic weight, thus controlling the main point of communication between Marrakech and the south.
Kasbah of Amridil, in the Skoura palm grove
The beauty of the Kasbah of Amridil lies in its own building but also in the environment in which it is located: in the heart of the Skoura palm grove, one of the largest and densest in the entire country. Although its interior is sober, its adobe exterior maintains a humble elegance, with beautiful sections of sebka decorating the highest part of the walls. Its crenellated towers seem to rival the surrounding tall palm trees, achieving an extraordinary harmony between architecture and nature. Moroccans are so proud of this kasbah that in an old series of banknotes, it featured on the reverse of the 50 dirhams.
Kasbah of Chaouen, the most outstanding in the north
The Kasbah of Chaouen follows a different typology from the previous ones, largely due to its geographical location: in the north of the country, at the foot of the green Rif mountains. Therefore, although a good part of its walls are covered with adobe, it uses stone ashlars in the rest of the structure. This has allowed it to be well preserved for so long, as its origins date back to the 14th and 15th centuries, although with significant improvements in modern times. You can visit its interior, although its spaces have been largely adapted to its current function as an ethnographic museum.
Ait Ben Haddou and other ksar
Finally, in this list of the most beautiful kasbahs in Morocco, we mention other examples that are not actually kasbahs but ksar, that is, fortified villages around a kasbah. This is the case of Ait Ben Haddou, whose walled enclosure is impressive, despite the fact that the adobe castle that crowns it is in a ruinous state.
Not far away, on the outskirts of Ouarzazate, is also the ksar of Tifoultoute, whose layout is reminiscent of Ait Ben Haddou, on top of a hill, although in a worse state of preservation.
These are just a few examples, but you can explore many others if you join our routes through Morocco. In some cases, you will discover that these kasbahs have been rehabilitated as charming accommodations, which will be another way to get to know their secrets even better.
